The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-12-11
Two Daughters of Fashion as Professional
Actresses-The Death of Nellie Coe and
Queer Revelations That Followed.


landt Morris is the foremost girl in New York
she did it we'll The city journals told in general
terms of the respleuden CO of ball and supper
that completely filled the big Dslmonico build
ing, ordinary customers being. excluded from
even the restaurant after midnight; but the ac-
counts really slighted the girl herself, for at
most she got no moro than . single sentence,
describing her as tall brunette in q remarkably
simple white costume. She was no beauty. but
she was niece of Mrs. William Astor. and that
suficed. What were her experienced Well,
she stood beside her mother in arecsption-room,
and bowed to the arriving people. as they passed
through on their way from the dressing-room to
the ballroom. That duty lasted from IL o'clock
until l, by which time several hundred bou-
quets. handed to her by guests. were masssd on
q screen behind her. Next, she went to supper,
on the arm Of her cousin, the newest John
Jacob Astor, and WAS an hour at table. eating
little and never touching the glass Of cham
pagne that fixed and became lifeless by her el-
bow. At o'clock she entered the hall itself
and danced with Henry Coster. noted cid beau.
at tho lead OF eotillion. Afterward she
waltzed with younger fellows. chattsd with
girl friends. and went home at s o'clock in
the morning-not as fresh, perhaps. as the milk
maid who, in the song, emerged sc that dewy
hour for duty, but great deal more interesting
to the observers.
Next to the bridal dress of q young girl. her
looming out" costume is the crucial test of taste
and income. Miss Morris's 'sweet simplicity"
of costume was an example. The foundation
was low-necked. no-sieeved slip of what one
would call rose white. if yellow white be ivory.
T.
material was corded silk. heavy and lustrous
About the walking-leneth skirt was box-plsited
row of Valenciennes four inches deep, at s.
yard. In each plait of the lace hung pendant an
artificial half blown blush-rose. Up sids
like panel: went row after row OF lace and
buds. Draped over the silk q of
ethereal silk eauZe. with satin stripes in pure
white Opposite the panel. on the right side,
was big pocket arraneemens. made of satin
folds interlaced like basket work. and sprineing
out of the ten was q splendid cluster of blush
roses, half blown and buds. The girlish chest
of the debutaut admitted of the upper half the
Valenciennes and in.ermineled buds. and q hip
corset OF satiG. laced behind, showed the slender
waist. There were certainly fifty yards OF lace
the dress and 500 roses. The material that
formed the over.dress was 800 for five yards,
the slip cost $50. the roses and the making were
800. and so the simple rosebud dress of q rniss
in her teens, without any jewelry or display.
cost $500.
"How foolish to spend money on a girls
dress" said q male guest innocently, "when she
can be so pretty in materials almost worthless"
The minds Of such men as, Berry. Wall and
Bob Hilliard are agitated the great ques.
ton: Shall the dress shirt be held in place by
one stud or threel This demands more than .
passing thought. The boarding -house-pie
chested man can get along very we'll with one
button. There is no particular strain coming
above or below. But the aldermanic corpora
tion and the developed breast of the man built
on mothers Christmas -mince-pie plan required
three studs to keep him in reputable shape The
late Col Jim Fske had four buttons on an in
side flap of his shirt bosom, and then ran in his
calcium-light, ten-caret diamond stud directly
in the center, where it made believe hold the
whole business One of the funniest revelations
in the shirt bosom line made the other
night, when a slim Jim of doubtful worth stood
up among the earlier seats to remove his coat
Il stuck in the sleeve, and his companion gave q
vigorous pull. The under coat came half
off and the vest rose like living thing.
There was ominous crack. and flying out OF
broken string, starched stiiy hanging to the cor
uer of il. The poor sellow spasmodically strug-
eled TO tuck it in, but, like Banquo's ghost, is
would not down. It returned again and again to
torment the wearer. When shirts cheap
and laundresses trusting, how q man comes
to commit the indiscretion of q dickey, who can
tell7
When the male literary creature gets his fine
work in on the subject Of womens wearing ap-
parel, it certainly is the most amusing thing he
doea It is doubtful il feminine fashion writer
would make such a mess of q scientific article on
parabolic refisctors or variable cut-offs. 1t was
q man struggling with the details Of an act
ress's costume, who spoke learnedly of her
black ''satin" stockings and called chenille
fringe, "graceful bangles OF marabout" One OF
these mistaken men recently undertook TO de-
scribe Mrs. Cleveland. ''Shs wore," he said. "a
dark leghorn hat, with plumes Of yelling and
velvet sitting well up in front" This was . tri-
umph. On the occasion referred to, Mrs Cleve-
land wore a felt hat Is it likely that the first
lady in the land. and quite q fashionable one.
would put q straw hat on the last of Novem-
bsri But what in the name of millinery and the
fine arts are ''plumes OF yelling and velvet?"
The lady probably had in her hat the stiff.
9 standing loops so much worn at present. and
the scribe set them down plumes. Il is q
wonder he never thought Of calling them foliage.
After awhile the hat which fascinated him was
fully described, and he proceeded to expatiate
on her Dress which was OF dark purple plush,
with strips of lace brocade on each ARM and q
double strip of the same on the whist" The
purple plush is discernible but the ''iace bro
cordng to this expert, with some degree Of
boufantness and three pleats in front The
sleeves were small, and clung closely. but were
much smaller where the lace brocade encircied
them than at any other point" This ia much
clearer than ordinary boarding-house coffee
The unsectarian women of this free country
for brown broad. but I would like to see the
most skillful analytical-mipded modiste in the
land tackle q piece OF purple plush and under
take to reproduce this costume by the descrip-
tion given of door Frances Ceveland's dress A
Western newspaper once engaged the services
of noted cook to f half column with his
best recipes. This is the way he told the ignor-
ant females of tina. famed city how TO make
q Spanish omelette: BEAT the eggs to high
froth; fry some onions in piece of butter; chop
mushrooms and mix with the tomato: soda
cracker crumbs should be used; pepper and salt
the mixture we'll; shake some -four with milk;
thoroughly mix. and tnss soon brown"
This WAS darling. The unirformsd woman
who conld make Spanish omelette out os that
could make Sranish flies out of dried huckle-
berries. Let Us hone that the young man who
described Mrs. Cleveland's dress is q bettsr
seamstress than he is fashion writer, or he
will have to mend his socks this cold winter with
postage stamps.
Two inguished bellies have put themselves
before the public this week. One